But after Westwood hit a superb shot to seven feet, Mickelson pulled his approach into the water surrounding the green and Johnson three-putted for bogey, meaning Westwood's par was good enough.

If Westwood was almost playing that match single-handedly, Stewart Cink was doing the same in match two, holing from 50ft across the fifth green for birdie to get back on level terms against Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell.

Johnson made amends for his three-putt with a birdie two on the seventh to get back to two down, while Cink carried on holing putts from everywhere with a matching birdie in the group behind. That put him and Matt Kuchar one up on McIlroy and McDowell, while Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher remained ahead of Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker by the same margin.

Bubba Watson missed from three feet for birdie on the fourth to leave the United States three up in the bottom match, but Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington had yet to card a single birdie.

Earlier, only 14 holes had been completed across the four matches before play was suspended, with Westwood and Kaymer two up on Mickelson and Johnson in the first match after five.

In match two, McDowell and McIlroy were one up on Cink and Kuchar after four holes, Cink having birdied the second but the home pair winning the first and fourth with par.

Poulter and Fisher were also one up on Woods and Stricker in match three, Woods having got the Americans back level with a birdie on the second but Poulter responding with a 25ft birdie of his own on the third.

US captain Corey Pavin had sprung a surprise by putting rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton out in the final match, but Overton responded by holing from off the green at the first for a birdie and Watson birdied the second to put the American pair two up on Donald and Harrington.